Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year B
Readings: Gen 2: 18-2
Heb 2: 9-11
Mk 10: 2-12
The understanding of the covenantal bond of marriage and concerns over the
challenges presented to families and the rearing of children have been greatly
emphasized in the history of the Church and especially so in our times. In recent
decades two popes have organized synods on the family: Pope St John Paul II gave a
series of truly outstanding weekly catechises for a period of a year beginning in 1979
elucidating his Theology of the Body, leading up to a synod on the family. This was
followed by his encyclical Familiaris Consortio. More recently Pope Francis
organized a synod on the Family and followed this with his encyclical Amoris
Laetitia. Why is the Family so important? Because the family properly understood as
a marriage between a man and a woman engendering children, represents the most
fundamental building block for the very fabric of society. The Christian family, with
father, mother and children is the ‘domestic church’ and the fundamental context in
which the Faith is learned, practiced and passed on to children. Parents have a great
responsibility here in educating their children in the Faith. Marriage breakdown,
divorce, affects not only the family, but society as a whole. Here I am not referring to
cases of annulments where the Church has decided that a marriage was not valid for
sound reasons.
The Pharisees put Jesus once again to the test, this time on the question of
marriage and divorce in the Mosaic law. Moses had permitted divorce in some
circumstances. They wish to see if Jesus will agree or not with Moses. But Jesus does
not allow Himself to get tangled up in a legal dispute with them over the Law. Instead
He goes back to the Beginning. What was God’s original purpose, His plan for
creation? There are two creation accounts in Genesis – the older account is in fact
Genesis 2, the later more mature account is Genesis 1. “In the Beginning God created
the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1 is a very neatly ordered and compact
description of creation, which reads almost like a liturgical hymn. There are 6 days
culminating in the 7 th day of Sabbath rest. Day 1 – the creation of light matches with
day 4 the creation of the sun moon and stars. Day 2 matches with day 5 and 3 with 6.
What is being emphasised here is the great unity in diversity of creation. But only
man – men and women – created on the 6 th day are made in the image and likeness of
God. Man is given dominion over the rest of creation. He is told to be fruitful and
multiply. He is made to be a King – a Priest King in fact, because he is created
fundamentally for Divine Worship and to offer the sacrifice of his life to God. The
climax is the 7 th day rest, the Sabbath. We learn from Exodus 31:16 that the people of
Israel “shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath … as a perpetual covenant”.
That is, men and women were originally created to live a covenantal bond, a sacred
family bond, with God. The Sabbath is the sign of this covenant and it was to be and
always is a perpetual one. In the second more primitive account of creation in genesis
2, the unity between a husband and a wife is more keenly emphasised: Because God
knew it was not good for man to be alone, he formed woman taking a rib from the
side of the man. Adam said of her: “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my
flesh.” Therefore, the text continues, “a man leaves his father and his mother and
cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh.”
In his reply to the Pharisees, Jesus fuses both accounts of creation together,
male and female God created them, then repeating that in a marriage bond the two are
no longer two but one. This is the covenant of marriage, again a sacred family bond,
man and woman joined together by God. Then very significantly Jesus adds in His
own words: “What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder.” This
is why the Church does not permit divorce.
Instead of asking the question as to why marriages are breaking down – there
are many different reasons, including in some cases the reason Jesus gives in the case
of the Mosaic Law – Moses allowed divorce because of hardness of hearts – lets ask
ourselves what makes for good marriages. We are called in all circumstances to a
tenderness of heart, to be merciful, forgiving one another. Jesus gives the example
here of how he treated the little children who were only coming to touch Him.
Rebuking those who tried to prevent this, He puts His arms around them and blesses
them saying “whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child shall not
enter it.”
The ideal example for all marriages is the Holy Family of Joseph, Mary and
Jesus. We can all learn – married or not – from their example of living out the
covenantal bond of marriage. Prayer is key and should be at the heart of every family.
The well known ‘rosary’ priest who ministered for decades in the US, Fr Patrick
Peyton, would often say: “The family that prays together, stays together.” Daily
prayer together for husband and wife strengthens the bond between them, one in
which children too ought to be invited to participate. Pray especially the rosary
together, meditating on the mysteries of Christ’s birth, life, passion, death and
resurrection. Meditate on passages from the Holy Scriptures together. Attend Sunday
Mass together, keeping Holy the Sabbath. Work together, recreate together, both
within and outside the home. Study the Faith together in all its aspects, practical as
well as spiritual. Pray for one another in all your needs. How powerful are the prayers
of children, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Share in one another’s concerns and
burdens in so far as this may be appropriate. Always be merciful to and thankful for
one another. Do not shy away from using these three important words: “I am sorry.”
Develop strong bonds of friendships, particularly with those who are of the household
of Faith with us. In a word, and for all of us, let charity be the centre of all we do
think and say, thus enabling understanding and bonding to grow. “If you have found
that you have charity”, says St Augustine, “you have the Spirit of God in order to
understand, for this is something that is absolutely necessary.” Of course there are
many challenges and difficulties here. Life is a continuous challenge for all of us, but
one we must embrace fully to the heart.
It behoves all of us, married or not, to pray for the unity of families, each day,
particularly for those who are struggling or have suffered through a divorce. Pray
especially for children whose families have broken down. Pray for a true Christian
understanding of marriage, which is under so much stress and pressure from the
secular society we are living in. Understand well that the fabric and structure of our
society cannot be replaced by one comprising other than marriages between a man
and a woman. Such a secular society is doomed to failure simply because it is not in
accord with God’s plan established by Him from the Beginning when He created men
and women in His own image and likeness. True marriages are never without trials
and conflicts both from within the family and without. But we must all learn how to
attend to these challenges with a living faith and trust in God, trust in the Name of
Jesus, trust in the intercession of the Holy Family of Jesus Mary and Joseph. I leave
you with the following poem:
I had a mother who prayed
I had a mother, who prayed for me,
Pleaded with the Lord every day for me.
Oh, what a difference it made in me
That I had a mother who prayed for me.
Some have kings in their heritage,
Men to whom honour was paid.
My noble ancestry was that
I had a mother who prayed.
Some boast or worldly success
And trust in the riches they’ve made.
But this was my surest asset,
I had a mother who prayed.
My mother’s prayers cannot save me.
Only my own confession can avail.
But my mother introduced me to Jesus,
The one who never can fail.
I had a mother who prayed for me,
Pleaded with the Lord every day for me.
Oh what a difference it made in me
That I had a mother who prayed.
(Author unknown)
Dom Brian Gerard Kelly